Snapchat启动上市 目标估值超200亿美元

Snapchat will lead its generation of technoogy companies into the public market after firing the starter’s gun on a US initial public offering that it hopes will put a value on the messaging start-up of between $20bn and $25bn.

Snapchat打响了美国首次公开发行(IPO)市场上的发令枪，即将引领它这一代的科技公司进入公开市场。这家消息初创企业希望，IPO将使该公司的估值达到200亿美元到250亿美元之间。

A successful float, which could come as early as the first quarter of next year, would help pave the way for even larger technology companies from Uber to Airbnb to brave the public markets.

Snapchat的上市最早可能在明年第一季度完成，如果成功，将为从优步(Uber)到Airbnb等更大的科技企业进入公开市场铺平道路。

Snapchat will be one of the biggest technology IPOs in recent years, as tech start-ups have been shy about going public, preferring to soak up private funding from venture capital and Wall Street fund managers.

Snapchat的上市将是近年来规模最大的科技IPO之一。近期科技初创企业回避上市，而更青睐从风投和华尔街基金管理公司进行私募。

Uber, the ride-sharing app, was last valued on the private markets at $68bn, while Airbnb, the accommodation marketplace, has a $30bn valuation.

共乘应用优步在私募市场上的上一次估值为680亿美元，而住宿市场平台Airbnb的估值为300亿美元。

Snapchat has appointed Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs to lead the IPO, according to people briefed on the plans.

据听取了相关计划的人士介绍，Snapchat指定摩根士丹利(Morgan Stanley)和高盛(Goldman Sachs)来牵头这次IPO。

After a quiet first half with no major technology IPOs, cloud communications company Twilio was the first unicorn, a tech start-up valued at more than $1bn, to go public with its June debut. But there have yet to be any listings from a new generation of start-ups valued at more than $10bn.

在度过没有重大科技公司IPO的寂静的上半年后，云通讯企业Twilio在6月上市，成为第一家进行首次公开发行的“独角兽”公司（估值超过10亿美元的科技初创企业）。但目前为止，还没有估值超过100亿美元的新一代初创企业上市。

The LA-based company, founded four years ago by chief executive Evan Spiegel, now 26, and co-founders Bobby Murphy and Reggie Brown, is now on a push to expand internationally.

总部位于洛杉矶的Snapchat在4年前由现年26岁的现任首席执行官埃文•斯皮格(Evan Spiegel)以及联合创始人博比•墨菲(Bobby Murphy)和雷吉•布朗(Reggie Brown)创立。目前该公司正推进国际扩张。

Snapchat has now reached 50m daily users in Europe, a third of its 150m daily active users worldwide.

Snapchat在欧洲的每日用户量达到5000万，是其在世界范围内1.5亿的日活跃用户量的三分之一。

“We are quickly growing our sales team globally,” said Imran Khan, the company’s chief strategy officer.

“我们正在全球各地快速发展我们的销售团队，”Snapchat首席策略官伊姆兰•汉(Imran Khan)说。

In the US, more than half of all new users are over the age of 25. Snapchat’s biggest US demographic is 18-24, followed by the 25-34 age bracket.

在美国，Snapchat的所有新用户中超过一半的人在25岁以上。Snapchat在美国的用户中，18-24岁的用户群人数最多，其次是25-34岁的用户群。

At the same time, Snapchat is evolving its advertising business. The company, which last raised funds at a valuation of at least $15bn, has been working with advertisers to create special photo filters and lenses for users.

同时，Snapchat正在发展其广告业务。这家公司上一次以至少150亿美元的估值募集了资金，目前正与广告商合作，为用户打造特殊的照片滤镜和镜头。